Friday, March 11, 2016

Reader report: Car jumps curb, collides with Dunkin' Donuts on 1st Avenue


Close call outside the Dunkin' Donuts on First Avenue and East Sixth Street early this evening.

According to witnesses, an older man was backing into a parking spot in front of the McDonald's when he apparently hit the accelerator by accident, driving up onto the sidewalk outside Dunkin' Donuts, taking out part of the railing in the process...



... narrowly avoiding hitting an estimated six people, including EVG Facebook friend Mike Diaz, who shared these photos...





The driver was also not injured, though he was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Updated

Here are two more photos via Derek Berg showing the aftermath...



22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, for f***'s sake. I hate how people / NYPD keep writing off these incidents as oopsie, just an accident. You know what? If you choose to drive a multi-ton vehicle, take goddamn responsibility for what you're doing.

Mike Diaz said...

It was an accident. I was there and almost was hit. The guy was old and got nervous. I know he didn't do it on purpose

nygrump said...

As this was happening, across the street NYPD was ticketing bikers driving the wrong way in the bike lane. Which are numerous and unending.

Anonymous said...

Also, being old is not an excuse. If you're too old to drive calmly and safely, stop driving. In Manhattan, of all places, there are other ways to get around.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if he had a medical episode, but that might have been the case. In any event, when I walked by he was propped up against a pole just east of his car, and there was a walker (used by handicapped people) next to him that had been removed from the car. Why someone who needs to use a walker is allowed to have a license and to drive is beyond me. A woman nearby with whom I spoke about this said that there is no legal provision to force someone in this situation to surrender their license. She said that her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, recently gave up her license under pressure from her family.

Bill

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention that there was am ambulance on that block earlier this afternoon. It was called by the McDonalds down the block after someone was found unconscious in the bathroom. I later heard that the person, evidently a drug user (according to the witness), had died.

Bill

Anonymous said...

7:32 Are you saying this wasn't an accident? That it was some type of coordinated attack on D&D?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure someone here will find a way to blame this on bicycles.
Also, as an aside, how out of touch does one have to be to not know the distinction between a "biker" and a "cyclist"?

CHurt said...

Pure Qaeda. Maybe ISIL.

Scuba Diva said...

Bill said:

Why someone who needs to use a walker is allowed to have a license and to drive is beyond me.

There are plenty of disabled drivers, including paraplegics who use hand controls to work the foot pedals. If a person is able to pass their driving tests, they are issued a license; get over it.

That said, it's pretty selfish and possibly dangerous to drive in the city when there are so many options for public transportation.

A woman nearby with whom I spoke about this said that there is no legal provision to force someone in this situation to surrender their license. She said that her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, recently gave up her license under pressure from her family.

Usually that's what happens; my grandmother had dementia and had several close calls before her license was taken away. My mother, now 82, also has dementia and was pressured to surrender her license several years ago.

blue glass said...

that the driver uses a walker does not mean can't drive. nor does it imply he has vision problems, etc. having a walker just means that he needs help walking.

there are handicapped drivers that require wheelchairs.
how does that affect their driving?

having bad reflexes, poor eyesight, lacking mental capacity, drinking etc - that's another story.

Unknown said...

I have yet to see any officer from the 9th pct ticket any cyclist. I've seen cyclist going the wrong way, on the sidewalk and running red lights right in front of NYPD and nothing was done. NYPD just let all this happen.

derek berg said...

George Jarema, I've not only seen the NYPD ticketing cyclists, I've also photographed them in flagrante delicto. In fact I was doing just that when I came across the Mercedes@ Dunkin Donuts.

Giovanni said...

Who cares about the damn accident, the only question that matters is does the McDonald's have any Shamrock shakes?

Anonymous said...

It's hard to defend blithely cycling the wrong way. You might have to cycle three blocks out of your way, but consider it extra exercise. And please don't cycle while chatting on your cell phone, in which case you are a hazard to yourself and others.

Gojira said...

I scanned the headline very quickly and read it as "Drunken Donuts". My God, I think I've found a radical concept for a brand new business formula! I'll be looking for a storefront and applying to CB#3 soon - watch for it!

Anonymous said...

Bicyclists should have to be licensed and pass a rules of the road test. A lot of the cycling miscreants are employed by restaurants.
The 'rants should be fined if their bicycling employees violate the law. I mean big fines, not a slap on the wrist.

DrBOP said...

Donut make my brown eyes blue

Giovanni said...

Well he doesn't have any parking tickets or red light violations, so he must have been having a senior moment. Now I'm off to McDonalds to find my annual Shamrock Shake.

Anonymous said...

Go directly to jail, donut pass go.

- East Villager

Anonymous said...

Ariana Grande! We get it! You hate donuts!

Giovanni said...

Krispy Kremes beat Dunkin Donuts any day.